NFL Draft: Oregon Ducks' Dion Jordan's name high up on most draft boards

Former
Oregon linebacker/defensive end Dion Jordan has been billed as the top
pass rusher in this year's NFL draft, which starts Thursday night with
the first round.

Some prognosticators have Jordan being selected as high as No. 2 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But something has NFL draft expert Rob Rang puzzled. If Jordan is so
dominant that he could be one of the top picks in the draft, why did he
have just five sacks last season?

"He's an incredible talent," the NFLDraftScout.com senior analyst said.
"But, at the same time, to project him as high as some people are, I
just wish he had a little bit more production to go along with that
potential."

Jordan enters the draft as somewhat of a highly touted mystery. Clearly
NFL teams believe he could become an impact player. His combination of
height (6-foot-6, 243 pounds) and athleticism make him appear to be more
of an NBA small forward prospect than a linebacker.
And in the NFL draft world of wild speculation, someone as unique as
Jordan commands attention strictly on his potential.

Should Jordan hear his name called inside the top 11 picks, he would
become Oregon's highest-drafted player since quarterback Joey Harrington
went third overall to Detroit in 2002.

Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata went 12th to Baltimore in 2006 and running back Jonathan Stewart went 13th to Carolina in 2008.

Rang, who rates Jordan as the 20th-best prospect in this year's draft,
had Ngata rated higher and Stewart in about the same position.

Stewart and Ngata came into the NFL with similarly rare physical talent.
Ngata is 6-4, 340 pounds and more athletic than some tight ends.
Stewart ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds at 235 pounds.

Oregon defensive line coach Ron Aiken, who spent the past seven years in
the same role with the Arizona Cardinals, said Jordan brings elements
to the field that others simply do not.

"He's a big, long guy, and long guys with speed have success off the
edge in the NFL," Aiken said. "His height is a plus in coverage because
the ball has to go over his head."

Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said he's amazed at how Jordan
has transformed himself from a tight end to a top-level NFL prospect in
just a couple of years at Oregon.

"That's an unbelievable progression and improvement in a short amount of time," Aliotti said.

He said he's not surprised that Jordan is being more highly praised than
Ngata, given that more NFL defenses are moving to the 3-4 to become
more athletic in matching up with the increasing number of spread
offenses.

"He's a valuable commodity because the guy is big, he's strong and he
can run, so he can rush the passer and he can play out in space,"
Aliotti said. "And he's smart and he loves football."

But Rang still asks: Where was the production to match the hype?

In three seasons with regular playing time, Jordan amassed 119 tackles,
23 1/2 for loss, and 14 1/2 sacks. His senior year produced 44 tackles,
10 1/2 for loss, with five sacks.

Strong numbers to be sure, but not dominating, in Rang's opinion.

"He is a unique combination of size, and his overall athletic ability,
it's intoxicating," Rang said. "All general managers are going to be
intrigued. But probably some are also concerned about the lack of big
plays on tape."

Still, Rang said he doesn't believe Jordan will get past the New York
Jets at No. 13. Then it will be up to Jordan to live up to the hype.